No tomorrow
by The Dancing Dead
Summary: The world was ending, the dead were rising, she didn't know how many people were left. When Scarlett meets a man fighting for survival, she never thought he would lead her to survivors, to him, someone from the past she thought she had left behind.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except original characters

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><p>It was a regular day in Atlanta; the heat from the Georgian sun beginning to warm the ground as the day began, noise rose as the people began to wake, ready to start the day. It was a regular day, or at least it was supposed to be. Day zero, the day the world turned to shit. It started with a couple of people getting a fever but the fever turned into an epidemic which then turned into a pandemic. The world wasn't prepared for what was to come.<p>

Scarlett woke at the sound of her alarm clock, burying her head in her pillow, wishing she could stay in bed for just five minutes longer. She succeeded for another minute before the familiar body woke her, jumping on her bed.

"Come on mom, it's time for me to go to school! And you have work!" Her son started to nudge her so she opened her eyes gave her son a big kiss on the forehead.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." She spoke as she got up from the bed, going to the bathroom to get changed.

After she had dropped her son off to school she headed for the University going over the first lecture in her head: The Magnetic properties of matter, the Langevin theory of paramagnetism and electron paramagnetism in metals. Scarlett had been noticing any of her students calling in sick, as had her colleagues; they had been coming down with the mysterious virus that had been spreading.

"Dude, I was on my way home last night after the party when some homeless guy bit me. I was like 'what the fuck?' and just pushed him away. It was weird man." She heard from the corridor as she walked by. The corridors, usually full with students rushing to classes, were now virtually empty.

She got to her office and noticed the door was open, the only other person who had a key was the janitor but he wasn't usually around at that time. She carefully entered the room, looking out for anything out of place but there was nothing so she thought nothing of it. Until she heard a noise from her cupboard. Scarlett froze immediately, eyes darting to the partially opened door. There was someone inside.

"Steve is that you? Jones?" She slowly walked to the door, her inner voice screaming at her not to look inside. "Jones? What are you doing in there?" She felt her heart racing and she began to feel shivers down her spine as she heard groaning. "Jones? Are you okay in there?" She opened the door to reveal a figure in a janitor's uniform, hunched over. It was Steve but something wasn't right with him. Amongst the groans, Scarlett thought she heard crunching and chewing, like he was eating something but she couldn't understand what he would be doing in her office cupboard.

"Jones?" She whispered, her fear building as she slowly approached the man. He stopped what he was doing and started to turn around. When he faced her his eyes were different, almost empty, lifeless. She noticed blood smeared around his mouth and she froze as she saw what was in his hand. A partially eaten mouse. "Jones." She breathed out as the thing before her that was once a man known as Jones stared at her hungrily.

It groaned as it lunged for her and she tried to contain the small yelp that escaped her; falling backwards, she kicked it as it clawed at her, eyes intent on its victim. Scarlett quickly picked herself up and ran out the door closing it behind her. She heard Jones groaning and scratching at the door, trying to get out and get to her. "Shit." She whispered as her mind tried to process what had happened. _What had happened to Jones?_ She asked herself but her thoughts were interrupted as she heard screams erupting from the halls.

Trying to escape the thing in the storage room, she made a dash for her office door, closing it behind her before Jones had a chance to catch up to her. She saw people, men, women, staff, students running about the place, running from what she guessed were more things like Jones. _The disease? Was this the disease?_ She didn't have a chance to answer her question as she felt an arm dragging her.

"Scarlett? What the bloody hell are you doing just standing there?" John, a fellow Physics teacher, asked as he pulled her through the corridors.

"Jones is gone, he changed into something. I don't know." She replied.

"Shit. There's a load of them, they just came from nowhere. We've got to get out of here." They ran towards the car park as the things chased after them. They almost didn't make it as the halls began to fill with bodies but they narrowly escaped, hiding behind a car.

"What the fuck are those things?" Scarlett asked as they tried to regain their breaths, she spoke quietly so as not to draw attention. Those things seemed to pick up on people with ease.

"I have as much of an idea as you. They just started coming at us. First it was one or two but soon there were too many to count. They kept biting people like they were…" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Food." She finished it and he nodded. Just then a cold feeling ran through her body and her blood began to pump in her ears. "I've got to get Jack! He's at school." She panicked, her son was in danger and she knew she couldn't rest until he was safe in her arms.

"Be careful. I don't know how many of those things are out there. I'm gonna try to make it home. Good luck." They shared a look, wishing each other luck before heading their separate ways.


	2. Welcome to the new world

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except original characters.

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><p>She had lost count of the days since it started, too much had happened, too long had it been since the dead stayed dead. The heat was beginning to wear her down and she was not far from collapsing, exhaustion creeping its way through her body. She needed somewhere to rest and gather supplies. All she had left was a couple of packets of crisps she had found and as for ammunition, she was running low on that too.<p>

As she rounded the corner she noticed a hospital in the distance and she was filled with renewed strength, enough to keep her going. The pile of dead bodies didn't shock her, not now after all she had seen. She held her crossbow up, ready for whatever may cross her path, knowing what could be round the corner. Flies buzzed around the rotting bodies that littered the floor, the acrid smell filled her nose as she pushed forward.

As she approached the main entrance a few of the walking dead noticed her approach, turning their decomposed heads towards her, rotten hands reaching out. She fired her arrows at the walkers and the arrows flew through the sky and hit their target between their eyes. _Hunger, flooding, wars. All the things we thought would end the world, _she laughed to herself, _who knew it would be a bloody zombie apocalypse that took us down? Should have paid more attention to those movies._

As she entered the hospital she noticed the state it was in; dead bodies of hospital staff filled the entrance as well as dead military officers. The staff had bullets wounds to the head and torso and had been partially devoured. One of the military officers started to move, obviously one of the undead, so she carefully moved towards him and put a knife through his head before he could eat her.

She made her way to the storage room but the door was locked. There was also moans escaping a locked door nearby with the words 'Don't open, dead inside.' She decided to cut her losses and leave before she heard a noise from the other corridor, catching her attention.

As Scarlett searched the hospital, Rick woke from his coma confused and not realising the situation that had arisen since he was shot. He called out for help but there was nobody around. The hospital was deserted.

Scarlett followed the noise she heard as it led her back to the cafeteria door that held the dead. She saw a man standing before it. He had short, brown curly hair, was wearing a hospital gown and seemed to be caught in a trance, staring at the door. She wondered what fool would stick around, unless he had been asleep all this time. They both heard the noise through the doors and something started to push against it, desperate to get out. Hands reached out from the locked room, trying to get to Rick. This caused waves of panic to rush through him as he stumbled back, the dead trying to get out. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to see a woman with long, jet black hair that was pulled into a pony tail pointing a crossbow in his face. She was fairly tall, had a stern stance and was obviously very skilled with weaponry. Her face was pulled into an unyielding stare as her blue eyes held his frightened ones. After a moment she relaxed her crossbow although she still held his view.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" She spoke, eyes scanning the area making sure there was nothing around to hear them.

"I…uh…I" He couldn't find the words.

"You're gonna get yourself killed, come on we need to get out now." She didn't wait for him to respond, the footsteps that followed behind her told her his movements. After trying a few doors on their way, they found a stairway leading to an exit.

The sun shone brightly in their eyes as they adjusted from the dark. Outside, dead bodies were scattered everywhere, victims from the early outbreak. The smell of the dead filled Rick's nose and he doubled over, struggling to breathe amongst the wrenching odours. He couldn't believe all those people were dead, tens and tens of dead bodies filled his view. Scarlett pushed forward, she had seen this so many times before, she had forced herself to adjust. It was the only way to survive the new world. She held her weapons in her hands as she led Rick away from the hospital.

When they reached the top of the hill they saw the remains of one of the military camps that had been set up. _Fat lot of good they were._ Scarlett silently thought to herself. The military had tried to take control of the situation but, just like the rest of the world, they were over run and defeated. It was hard to tell if there was anyone left; Rick was the first person she'd seen in days.

"Stay here." She spoke to Rick and, without waiting for his reply she left to investigate the area. She was down to one gun with five shells, her crossbow with seven bolts and a knife. She needed weapons and so did this guy she had found. To her disappointment there was nothing left; whether it had all been used in their last attempts to fight the dead or if others had already scavenged it, it didn't really matter, all that mattered was that everything was gone.

"I have to find my family." Rick spoke as she returned to him.

"No we need to keep moving, if they aren't dead they definitely won't be home." Scarlett knew it was a big risk returning to Rick's home but she could also see the desperation behind his brown eyes.

"I have to find them. They're all I have, what's the point of goin' on if they're gone?" He held her gaze and she knew they had to try. _At least he still has hope that his family is still alive, _the thought came as tears threatened to fall as her mind raced over all she had lost.

"Fine, but we have to be quick. It's not safe now and it will be a worse when night falls." Rick nodded, silently thanking her.


	3. Safety in numbers

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for original characters

Haven't written anything for a while, been busy writing for nanowrimo all November. Now that's over I've returned to my stories, trying to make it interesting.

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><p>They took the long and tiring journey to the streets that had once been Rick's home, the memories returning to him in a wave. He struggled to keep control of his emotions; the only thing stopping him from breaking down there and then was his focus to find his family. Scarlett walked beside him, not sure what to even say to him. She preferred silence anyway, it was almost comforting.<p>

The familiar white house came into focus, drawing Rick's attention to it and that alone. His heart took over, pulling him towards it as his legs ran to keep up with his heart. Scarlett didn't run after him, knowing she would catch up with him soon enough. She could hear his screams, calling desperately for his family. She tightened her grip on her crossbow, keeping her gun close too; Rick's screams would have also been heard by Walkers if there were any nearby. It was best to be safe regardless.

When she reached the house she found him on the floor, kneeling over photographs of what she guessed was his family. She felt her heart drop slightly as she saw his pain, memories from a time now gone filling her head. Scarlett shook her head, clearing her mind as she approached the broken man. They needed to move on before any dead found them.

"We need to move now, I know it's hard but you need to get up if you want to live." He didn't move, his legs had lost their energy, as had his soul. She tried to pull him up but his body was dead weight; she was strong but not that strong. Scarlett grew ever more frustrated with him; did he have a death wish? Damn it, she should just leave him there and go. She knew she should but she couldn't do that. "Come on, get your shit together, we've got to move." Her voice woke something in him, enough to get him moving. Almost in a catatonic state of a trance, he stood up and walked out the door, unsure of what he could even do. For all he knew they were dead.

Once on the streets Scarlett noticed some of the dead approaching, obviously having heard Rick's cries. She sighed, moving to take them out before they were overrun. When she turned around a young boy stood over Rick, spade in his hand.

Scarlett's immediate response was to aim the crossbow towards the boy, stopping him from ending Rick's life. She barely knew the guy but she would protect him nonetheless. The boy cried out, shouting to his father who was approaching from the other side of the street. He pleaded with her to lower the weapon, aiming a gun at her. They were in a standoff, eyes fixed on each other.

"Tell the boy to drop it." She shouted back in response.

"Please. Duane drop the spade." His son complied causing Scarlett to lower her weapon. Morgan let out a breath, glad his son was out of danger.

"So what are you doing down here in Georgia? Wherever you're from, it isn't from down here." Morgan spoke.

"Chicago but I lived here, a long time ago." Her eyes glazed over for a moment as the past resurfaced in her mind. "I came back, been working up at Georgia Tech, Physics lecturer." Morgan nodded, not prying any further.

Morgan and Scarlett pulled Rick into the house they were staying at, tending to his wound. He asked her about the wound Rick had sustained, whether he was bitten or scratched but all she knew was that he was in hospital for whatever had caused it. Rick and Scarlett had barely spoken since they met; she was as much in the dark as Morgan was. When Rick woke, he explained everything, the shooting, the coma; when they realised he was safe they all let out a breath, relaxing for a moment.

Rick and Scarlett stayed in the house with Morgan and Duane that night before heading to the Sherriff's office the next day for more weapons. The idea had come to Rick, knowing it was their best chance. They also had a separate propane system, which meant one thing. Hot water.

They each stepped into the showers, the guys going first, relishing in the hot water than splashed all over their bodies. They felt clean for the first time in weeks, the smell of sweat and dirt washing away with the water.

She turned on the water and felt the hot spray on her skin; it had been a long time since she had felt this good. She had found some shampoo and gave her hair a wash, the sweet smell filling her nose reminding her of a time now gone. There was no electricity so she would have to let her hair dry naturally but she didn't care, she loved the feeling of cleanliness. Who wouldn't when you've been through shit?

They came out of the showers, wrapped in towels as they headed for the changing rooms. There was a question on their minds, what were their plans? Where would they go next? Scarlett knew the city was under huge threat but they had bombed it after she left so it may have improved. The chances were unlikely but the others were pretty convinced already.

"Atlanta sounds like a good deal. Safer anyway. People…" Rick spoke, drawing Scarlett's attention back to the room.

"That's where we were heading. Things got crazy. Man, you won't believe. The panic… Streets weren't fit to be on, and then we'll… My wife… couldn't travel. No, not with her hurt, so we had to find a place to lay low. And then, after she died… We just stayed hunkered down. I guess we just froze in place." Morgan remembered as he spoke.

"What about you, Scarlett, where were you heading?" Rick asked her and her heart jumped for a second, trying to find the words to explain something she had buried.

"Not sure, came from the city but ran out of fuel so stayed under the radar, took shelter. Then…" She stopped then, unable to continue. She couldn't say, wouldn't say it. "Then I moved on, found my way to the hospital and found Rick. Didn't really think about where I was heading next. Just heading away." They nodded. Rick knew there was something she didn't say but he didn't push her, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her anyway. She was a fairly private person, more so now the world was going to hell.

She walked off to get changed; looking in the mirror at her body she saw the scars from long ago, scars that reminded her of her life long before the walkers came. She looked at her body where the skin covered her ribs on the left and right side at the tattoo. She had a few tattoos but this one was the most important. On the right side was the scripted name Jack, her son, and on the left she saw the name in script that she hadn't spoken in a long time. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember his face, it had been ten years since she had seen it, since she had left his bed that night and left for Chicago. Ten years since she had everything she wanted even when she had nothing.

Lacing up her combat boots, she headed off to find the others, unable to dwell on the past for any longer without breaking down the walls she had built so high. When she found the others they were heading for the gunroom, looking to renew their dwindling supply. Rick had put his uniform on, the only change of clothes other than the hospital gown he had. Scarlett had put on a clean white T-shirt and her sleeveless leather jacket. With her crossbow in hand, she felt like she was back in the woods of Georgia. Back in her old life.

Some of the weapons were missing but there were plenty left, more than enough to be shared out between them all as they planned to go their separate ways. Rick and Scarlett were going to head for Atlanta or whatever was left of it. Rick had hopes for what he would find but Scarlett was a lot more sceptical. Morgan and Duane would catch up to them when they were ready to leave, Rick tried to convince them to come but they couldn't leave, not yet.

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><p><strong>This is just a note; there seems to be some confusion about the point of view of the story. Even though the story follows the character Scarlett, it is written in third person which means the point of view will change accordingly. Like I said, it does follow Scarlett but it also follows the characters around at the same time. Thus there will be thoughts and feelings experienced by other characters to give more depth to the story. I hope this clears things up a little<strong>


	4. Trapped

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except original characters.

Hope this chapter is okay, was partially written at Uni so hope its not too rushed. Thanks for the reviews.

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><p>The journey to Atlanta was mostly silence, neither Rick nor Scarlett knew what to say, the silence was the only thing that seemed to come. The roads were deserted as they coasted down the highway. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Scarlett's mind was elsewhere as she sat in silence, watching the trees pass out the window while Rick drove. The air was heavy with the humid heat of a Georgian summer and the sun shone brightly in the sky. The trauma of recent events weighed heavily on her mind as she struggled to think about something else.<p>

Scarlett wasn't even sure what she was hoping for anymore, everything she had was gone, the disease had taken everything but her life. She began to question what she was even living for. What was there left to survive for?

Rick tried the radio time and time again, hoping desperately that someone out there could hear him. If there was anyone else left in the world. So far he had only come across a few people still alive. The world couldn't be completely gone surely? They both held on to hope, the only thing keeping them going.

The car ran out of fuel before they reached Atlanta, so far they hadn't found any more, the supplies were dry, used up by people in a desperate attempt to flee. They came to a house, seemingly deserted. Their suspicions were confirmed as the smell of dead flesh hit their noses. The owners of the house had taken their own lives to save themselves the fate of turning into one of those creatures that now roamed the Earth, seeking out flesh for them to consume.

The sight of the people turned Rick's stomach upside down. He had seen his fair share of death but the sight really seemed to be getting to him. While Rick tried to regain himself Scarlett noticed a horse grazing in the field. It seemed unaware of the horrors of the world, just stood contented in the blazing sun as if nothing had happened. The horse was blissfully oblivious, separated from the horrible reality.

"Easy now, easy. I'm not gonna hurt you. Nothing like that. More like a proposal. Atlanta's just down the road ways. It's safe there. Food, shelter, people, other horses too, I bet. How's that sound?" She slowly approached it. The horse relaxed a little and she ran her hands through its mane. The feel of the soft hair brought a memory to the surface.

"_Hey Rambo, you getting on here or what?" She called to him as he stood by the black horse she sat upon, eyes wary as he watched the creature. _

"_I don't know, there ain't enough room on there." He didn't want to admit it, but he was a little scared. _

"_Don't tell me old country boy's scared of a horse?" She teased a little, earning a scowl from him._

"_No! How 'bout you shut up." He shot back, not in a nasty way but a little playful._

"_Well come on then, I'm not just sitting here pretty. Get on here and let's go for a ride." She teased again, loving every second of it._

_Reluctantly and very awkwardly he got on the horse. "Whatever, if I fall of this thing I'm blamin' you." He replied causing her to laugh quite loudly._

"_You won't fall off, just hold on tight." He wrapped his arms around her waist as she motioned for the horse to move._

Rick's sudden presence brought Scarlett back from that memory; even though he noticed the sad look in her eyes he didn't ask her about it which she was thankful for. It was a past long gone, one she knew she could never get back even if she found him again. Which was even more unlikely given the circumstances.

Once Rick had climbed onto the horse they took off in the direction of the city. Neither of them was sure what they would find there but Rick just hoped his family had made it safely there. If the city was safe enough. Scarlett knew the city was once overrun but she hoped it would be clear now, the last thing they needed would be to run into a herd of them. One of two they could deal with but a whole group would be too much.

The sun still shone brightly, even as the hours passed it was blinding, filling the sky with the blazing fire inside. She could feel it burning her skin, the heat building as the afternoon dragged on. The overwhelming heat was definitely something she didn't miss when she had moved to Chicago.

The roads leading out of the city were stacked and piled with cars, the residents had made one last attempt to flee for their lives only to fail at the end. She didn't need to look in the cars to know what was there, some had been abandoned but others were filled with what remained of their owners. There was so much death around, it was everywhere now.

When they reached the city it appeared to be relatively empty; a few walkers roamed the streets but not enough to worry about, not while they had the ability to make a quick run for it. Debris and other bits littered the streets, covering the ground in what remained of the civilisation that once lived there. Scarlett found herself thinking back to the house she had there, the University she used to go to every day. She wondered if they were even still standing.

So far the two had been relatively safe, no imminent threats had come their way. Their fatal mistake was following the helicopter that flew over the city; they followed it right into a herd of several hundred walkers. The came at them, hands reaching out, desperate to taste their flesh. Their rotten mouths strained, almost as if they were calling out to them. They tried to escape but they were surrounded, walkers reaching out with bone and flesh, claiming their victims from every direction. Scarlett managed to pull Rick away as the dead began to feed on the beautiful creature that had once been far away in a peaceful field. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty, it wouldn't be dead if she had just found another way to get to the city.

She was pulled from her despair as the walking dead began to follow them, unable to be satisfied until they were all dead. They were converging on them fast, there was no way to escape, they were trapped. They would become the meal for those who were no longer living.

Scarlett couldn't accept it, they couldn't die, not here. There was still fight left in her, she had to save Rick, he needed to find his family again. She saw an abandoned tank, there was room underneath it for them to hide. It wasn't much but it was a start, it may bide them enough time to think of a plan.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction she had set her sights on. Once they were underneath it became painfully clear it had been a mistake in her judgment. There was barely room to move and the walkers had followed them, now blocking them in a very confined space. They continued to crawl towards them, hunger in their eyes as they reached to grasp at their victims.

Thankfully Rick came up with a solution, seeing the hatch leading inside the tank. It was the same each time though, every time they found a solution it led to them being trapped again only this time they were safe from walkers. Rick opened the top of the tank to survey the area; the walkers had piled in, outnumbering them by too many to even think about counting. When he returned inside he shook his head and Scarlett realised that there was no way out. No way out with them surviving in any case.

Panic built in her as realisation hit her like a ton of bricks, a raincloud of despair threatened to fall around her. She tried to stay composed, the last thing they needed was for them to both freak out. Panic doesn't solve problems.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath as her brain processed the situation. She knew the city wasn't a good choice yet she followed the deputy anyway. "Good choice Sherriff's deputy, coming to the city." She muttered aloud in anger. Even though she knew his reasons she couldn't help the anger that had built up .

"I'm sorry, I had to try." To be fair she was more angry at herself, angry for allowing herself to have some sort of hope, for following him even when her instincts told her to stay away. She could be safe, miles from there but no. _Where is safe though? _ She thought to herself. She knew it was pointless; there weren't any safe places now, not really. There was nowhere you didn't have to stay alert just in case.

Rick checked his gun to see how many shells were left. Not enough to take out all the walkers, _but enough to end it all_. He wasn't one to go down the suicide path; he never would have considered it no matter how bad things were in the old world. But this world was different; death was a gift in a sense, freedom, no more running and hiding. He looked to Scarlett and they both shared a look of realisation, knowing there was only one way out now. Before they could reach a decision the radio in the tank spoke out with a man's voice. Someone else was there.

"Hey you, dumbasses in the tank. You guys cosy in there?" He spoke. Scarlett and Rick both looked up amazed, shocked and confused.


End file.
